Sound Sleep Guide

Archive for July, 2006

Getting a good night’s sleep has become a hot topic lately. Look at all the speciality mattresses that are being offered. You can buy nature sound machines to put you to sleep. The sleep market continues to grow ever year.

Is quality more important than quantity when it comes to sleep? For most people, how restful you feel after a night’s sleep defines how your attitude will be for that day. Everyone’s sleep patterns differ. So one person may need 8 to 10 hours of continuous sleep to feel rested while another person may only need about 6 hours. Your quality of sleep is what really matters. You might say that you get 8 to 10 hours of sleep, but that quantity does not account for much if the quality of that sleep was poor.

We all need sleep in order to function effectively. It is a necessity of life, like eating and breathing. When you feel rested, after a good night’s sleep, you probably feel like you could tackle anything that came your way. However, a night of restless sleep might make you feel irritable and not quite focused the next day.

Every person, from babies to adults, has varying levels of sleep requirements. Babies and toddlers need a lot of sleep and tend to sleep for up to half of a day, including nighttime and naps. The sleep requirement lessens as we get older. But what constitutes “enough sleep”? Enough sleep means the amount of sleep you need in order to not feel drowsy the next day. It is thought that more than half the world’s population experiences some type of sleep problem at least once a week. Hectic lifestyles and stress are the biggest culprits. These sleeping problems can also be called insomnia.

If you are not waking up feeling refreshed and ready to start your day, it is time to take a look at your sleeping habits. You may be getting the quantity of sleep you need, but you are not getting the quality that you need. Ask your spouse or significant other that shares a bedroom with you about your sleep habits. Chances are that they could tell you if you snore, talk in your sleep, sleepwalk or have restless legs syndrome or some other related condition. In other words, you might not be aware of these restful sleep hindrances, but those who share your room and bed would definitely know because you may be interrupting their sleep as well.

Other culprits that can interfere with your quality of sleep have to do with your various nightly habits or routine in preparation for bed. You may be sabotaging your sleep without even realizing it. The most common offenders that inhibit a good, restful sleep are:

Caffeine and alcohol
Late night empty calorie or sugary snacks
Certain medications
Watching too much television before bedtime

Caffeine is a stimulant and takes time to break down in your body therefore keeping you up at night. Alcohol is a depressant and while it might get you to sleep right away, within a few hours you will either wake up or not be able to reach the deep sleep stage where you get the majority of your restful sleep. The sugary snacks, medications and television viewing are contributing factors to stimulating your brain, keeping you from falling asleep. There are some things you can do to fall asleep at night. It is all a matter of creating a bedtime routine and sticking to it. Try some of these tips and see if you can fall asleep and stay sleep:

Soak in a hot tub or shower
Exercise every day
Turn off the television and pick up a book to wind down and relax
Don’t consume any liquids at least 2 to 3 hours before bed

Soaking in a hot tub or shower will allow your body to cool off naturally, kicking in your urge to sleep. Exercise is healthy and reading a book allows your body to relax slowly, something you might need in order to fall asleep. By not drinking anything a few hours before bedtime, you are less likely to have to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night.

Establishing healthy bedtime routines will help you in your quest for that quality of sleep you need to get through your day. Remember, quantity doesn’t count in sleep. It’s the quality of rest that you get from a night’s sleep that is most important.

Getting a good night’s sleep should be easy, but for many people it is difficult and some nights impossible. If you have ever suffered from insomnia you know how frustrating this can be. For some it is a matter of learning to relax and for others it is overcoming sleep disorders like sleep apnea.

The Sound Sleep Guide will offer some techniques for getting a better night’s sleep and will discuss some of the sleep disorders that keep people awake at night.